Empire Brewing Co.White Aphro (Belgian-Style Wit Ale With Lavender, Ginger & Lemon Peel)WitbierNew York6.0%12oz, 6-Pack$10.99Bleached white foam, thin coating across the surface with weak retention, the lacing starts out thick but this too barely lasts. Dark yellow gold colored liquid, loose beads of quite large bubbles, great activity below the surface which does not translate into the head. The nose is a stunner, the ginger very pure and lavender a well chosen accompaniment, the lemon more subtle, grainy with wheat notes, apple, pear to apricot fruit skirts around the perimeter, very pungent, no doubt one has to be a ginger fan to get behind this. Medium-bodied, the carbonation does a slow churn so it tends to be bottom heavy. Still, lots of pucker factor from quinine, mineral water to lemon citrus. Here more yeasty, doughy than unprocessed grains. Floral with lavender, violet notes, very good lift and inner mouth perfume. The sourness restrains the spicy bite of the ginger some as well as length through the finish, now and then you get cloves too. Again, mainly white pit fruit such as apple or pear, not the most distinct element. Strong finisher, chooses power over crispness. No doubt this can be a polarizing brew given its clear uniqueness. But finished it as quickly as any beer in recent memory.4 out of 5